


da capo al coda

by nxpenthe



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst, F/F, slowburn, will add pairing tags as they come along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-02-10 19:51:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18667225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nxpenthe/pseuds/nxpenthe
Summary: Love is timing. Start, play until the end, and repeat.In which Kim Jiwoo falls in love over and over.In which Ha Sooyoung continuously makes mistakes.





	1. pianissimo

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is an idea that came from just realizing half of romance movies was really just timing, and this is what i came up with? i've always wanted to write a full-length fic (and actually finish, i promise i will) and i wanted a slowburn hehe. also i'm not quite sure where the chapter title went but w/e i'm sure it'll show up
> 
> this, as usual, is unbeta'd and unedited (and posted at 4am oops)

Contrary to popular belief, Jiwoo doesn’t believe in the concept of ‘love at first sight.’ She thinks it’s silly, falling in love with just the aesthetic qualities a person had to offer without the insight of who they were as a person, and even if Jungeun (the surprising romantic between the two) tries to argue her point, Jiwoo always ends it with a wave of her hand and an exaggerated roll of her eyes.

  
“Listen, just because you’re dead inside doesn’t mean you have to drag me down with you,” Jungeun grumbles, throwing her hands in the air in defeat. “Whatever. Watch you end up single while my girlfriend and I gloat.”

  
Jiwoo lets out an offended squeak, hands flying over to clutch her chest dramatically as she keels over her desk, forehead landing on her folded arms. She pretends to sob for a little bit, though Jungeun’s foot kicking at her shin quickly pulls her out of the act. “That is, if you ever get a girlfriend.”

  
“Oh my god, you bitch.”

  
Jiwoo sticks her tongue out, pulling one eye lower to aggravate the blond further.

  
Jungeun aims another kick at her legs, though she’s quickly stopped by the sound of the sliding door and the sudden presence of their homeroom teacher. Instead, she opts to glare at Jiwoo as best she could from the corner of her eye, all while Jiwoo’s own gloating nonchalance presses her lips tight together into a smug smile.

  
Jungeun and Jiwoo had made unlikely friends; from the beginning, their relationship had been based on a series of childish competitions arbitrarily created by the former at the start of kindergarten. Who drew the best (neither, they quickly decided, though Jiwoo likes to think she’s a bit better since she could actually color in the lines), who could run faster (it’s Jungeun, though just barely), or who could shove the most cookies in their mouth (Jiwoo almost chokes on the number of oreos crammed down her throat, but seeing Jungeun gag and spit out her twelve into a trashcan was worth the near-death experience).

  
Though the competitions had ceased once they entered high school, the two having opted for a more harmonious relationship, they continued squabbled in more lovingly, less physically threatening, ways. Jungeun was a grounding figure in Jiwoo’s often dreamy sequences, the girl quick to take on Jiwoo’s contemplations with logic, her single eyebrow quirked to indicate her skepticism.

  
Jiwoo, more often than not, rightly ignores her.

  
That’s why it had been surprising when Jungeun first stated her belief in the concept of true love while Jiwoo didn’t.

  
The same Jungeun who would mock her for following her daily Libra forecast (the app _said_ green was her lucky color that day, and she ended up acing an English vocabulary quiz, so Jiwoo likes to think they’re based on some sort of truth) was also the same Jungeun that cried at romantic-comedies, claiming loudly that “Love is real!” when the protagonists kissed in the final scenes. Don’t get her wrong, Jiwoo loves cheesy films more than the average high school girl, but Jungeun really took it to the next level by how she decided then and there, after a viewing of _Love Actually_ in Jiwoo’s room on a badly discolored laptop screen, that soulmates were in fact real.

  
Jiwoo always assumed the Jungeun would snap back to it, but after two years of high school, the girl was still very much convinced.

  
Then again – Jiwoo directs her bored gaze to her left, staring openly at her best friend’s profile as the teacher drones on about equations and graphs – Jungeun is super pretty and if she wanted a girlfriend, she could more than easily get one.

  
She purses her lips. It would be sad if Jungeun got a cute girlfriend and left her single and alone, so even though it’s a bit selfish of her, Jiwoo hopes that it doesn’t happen for at least a little bit longer –

  
“Hey.”

  
Jiwoo blinks, finally snapping back to reality as Jungeun presses a pencil into her thigh, mouthing a quick “What?” before a note is slid to her.

_  
Wanna go to a café to study tonight?_

  
Jungeun’s handwriting is messy, the words a barely legible scrawl, made worse by the bleeding red ink of her pen. Jiwoo takes one of her sparkly glitter pens – a light peach – and writes her response, waiting for the teacher to turn his back on them before folding it back and plopping it onto Jungeun’s desk.

_  
Yeah! What time?_

  
Jungeun quickly scribbles a response, crumpling the paper a bit more so she could throw it into Jiwoo’s lap.

_  
Dance rehearsal ends at 5 today. When’s choir done?_

_  
Around the same time. I’ll wait by the studio, give you more time to wash so you’re not stinky_

  
Jiwoo sees Jungeun’s nose scrunch, stifling a giggle at the glare Jungeun throws her.

_  
Shut up. I still remember when you didn’t shower for three days_

_  
I was in the literal hospital!_

_  
Still makes you grosser than me_

  
The exchange continues until Jungeun folds the note into a paper airplane and throws it, attempting to hit Jiwoo in the face. Instead the plane crashes and burns, gliding past Jiwoo’s desk and hitting a dozing Yeri.

  
Turns out, a startled Yeri is a loud Yeri that results in Jungeun and Jiwoo being forced to stand in the back for rest of math class.

  
\--

  
The school bell rings loudly in the background, jarring Jiwoo awake from her half-dozed position, cheek red from having been smashed against the palm of her hand (which, she realizes with disgust, has a line of drool). She shoots a look to the side, happy to report that Jungeun looks similar to her, though her hair is disheveled by her attempts to stay awake during the two-hour long lecture about photosynthesis.

  
“Fuckin’ finally,” Jungeun mumbles under her breath. Jiwoo, never one to swear, nods in agreement, wiping the remnants of her nap on her uniform skirt.

  
“Fifteen minutes before practice,” Jiwoo says, her voice chirpy, though tinged around the edges with drowsiness. “Coffee break?”

  
“Please, I might actually fall asleep while dancing.”

  
“Cool. You’re paying this time, right?”

  
Jiwoo packs the rest of her things away, clicking her bag shut just in time to see Jungeun’s sheepish smile. Her own expression falters, lips turning into an expected, yet disappointed, pout. “You forgot your wallet.”

  
Jungeun claps her hands together, head bowed slightly. “I’ll treat you to dessert this weekend, promise!”

  
“You’re actually useless.” She tries to keep her voice threatening and offensive, imitating the way Jungeun spoke whenever she did something stupid, but it just comes off soft and airy and not at all intimidating because that’s what she was. A huge pushover. “Come on, let’s go before it gets too crowded.”

Jungeun loops her arm around Jiwoo’s, backpacked swinging behind her on only one shoulder as she annoyingly nuzzles her cheek against Jiwoo’s.

  
It was cute, how Jungeun, despite how chic she looks, is one of the most affectionate people she knows.

  
“Okay, okay,” Jiwoo chuckles, patting the top of Jungeun’s head, “I get it, you love me. Make sure you pay for desserts this weekend though. There’s this new dessert café I want to try, and it’s all you can eat!”

  
Jungeun visibly balks, but that doesn’t deter Jiwoo’s blinding smile.

  
“Dude, no, please, the last time you went we ate so much that the waiter almost yelled at us.”

  
“They advertised all-you-can-eat and that’s precisely what I did!” And that she did. She didn’t gain weight as easily as most people, and so Jiwoo used that to her own advantage, gorging on almost eight plates of pork belly by herself, not to mention a massive array of side dishes that came free with the meal (bless the great nation of South Korea) for just under fifteen thousand won. A great win on her end. Though maybe a huge monetary negative for the shop as the owner himself had rung the two up, glaring specifically at Jiwoo. However, she had ignored the pointed stare in favor of waving a cheery goodbye and promising to come back again a week later.

  
Which she did.

  
Anyways, the place was no longer an all-you-can-eat buffet, and Jiwoo and Jungeun were no longer patrons of said restaurant.

  
Jungeun rolls her eyes, shouldering her on purpose. Jiwoo squeaks at the rebuff, clearly miffed, though not actually because she pouts instead, opting to hold Jungeun’s open hand. Their fingers interlock easily, swinging between the two of them as they head to the school’s cafeteria. The tension dissolves into familiar giggles, smiles replacing their faces.

  
They talk about nothing in particular – dating rumors, hated teachers, weekend plans with their friend group. Jungeun pauses in the middle of her tirade on why it’s ridiculous that math is a necessary subject (“ _I refuse to look at another graph for as long as I live_ , _we’re not going to ever have to calculate the shadow of a random tree, I have Google for that!_ ”) to shrug sheepishly as Jiwoo pays for both their iced lattes.

  
“You own me like twenty thousand now,” Jiwoo grumbles, staring at the barren contents of her strawberry decorated wallet. So much for saving up – the Disney stickers she had bought last weekend had cost more than what she had bargained for. “I expect full repayment by the end of this week.”

  
Jungeun laughs instead, planting a gross icy wet kiss on her cheek.

  
“Ew! Jungie, gross!” Jiwoo whines, rubbing her face in an attempt to clear the traces of coffee. “What was that for?”

  
Jungeun smirks, “My love for you.”

  
“You can keep your love to yourself!”

  
“Aww, Jiwooming, you make me so sad,” Jungeun cackles right into her ear, lips pursed into a stupid kissy-face as she approaches Jiwoo once again, “C’mere so I can give you a big kiss on the lips.”

  
“Get away!” Jiwoo screams, enough to see Jungeun visibly wince from the pitch. She escapes her friend’s looping arm, ducking beneath Jungeun’s attempted bear-hug as she darts past, jogging a little ahead in the direction of the music and dance halls. She turns around, nose scrunched into a pout, before sticking her tongue out at her laughing best friend. “I hate you!”

  
Jungeun waves dismissively, coffee straw stuck in the corner of her mouth. “Love you too! I’ll see you after rehearsal.”

  
Jiwoo contemplates flicking her off for a moment – Jungeun, however, catches the glint in her eyes and does it first, left middle finger raised high as she continues to sip on her coffee.

  
The laughter from her gets louder as Jiwoo spins on her heels, yelling back a quick “You suck!” before darting down the halls. She only gets halfway towards the classrooms, however, when she scrunches her face together, quickly deciding to run down back to Jungeun.

  
“Figured you’d be back,” is the only thing Jungeun says as she opens her arms wide. Jiwoo basically tackles her, knocking them both back a few feet as she giggles, hugging the girl as tight as humanely possible before letting her go.

  
“Shut up and hug me back,” Jiwoo laughs. Jungeun does as told, arms wrapping around Jiwoo’s waist, and it’s just so, _so_ perfect that Jiwoo’s arms are around Jungeun’s sides. She wiggles her fingers, pressing into the other’s back and shoulders, up into her armpits in a surprise tickle attack.

  
“You bitch!”

  
“Love you!”

  
Jungeun nearly loses her coffee in the process, but Jiwoo runs fast enough before the former can throw the near empty plastic cup at her head.

  
\--

  
Jungeun had been the one to push her into choir. She had always loved to sing – her voice the obvious choice of communication, and singing was simply another vessel in which she could convey her thoughts and feelings without complication. It was fun too, and she just so happened to be lucky enough to be born with a talent in voice; her parents had claimed it was how often she performed in front of them, never afraid to grab a makeshift mic (be it spoon or broom) and put on a show. The love, luckily, carried into her future, and having used it to slide into the admissions of a nationally recognized Arts high school with a track in music.

  
It was fortunate too, that her best friend and neighbor Kim Jungeun, happened to be an amazing dancer as well. Perhaps that’s why they got along so well, the flair for performance driving the two to compete.

  
However, she had stood frightened at the prospect at joining a choir at the school where everyone was talented. Where people would no doubt be better than her. She was used to being praised, and the thought that her voice was nowhere near as good as those claimed it was to be frightened her to the core.

  
When she shared this fear with Jungeun, the latter had laughed at her, head throw back for dramatic effect.

_  
“You’re being ridiculous. Just go and sing, they’ll figure out that you’re the real deal.”_

  
And even though her voice wavered a little in her solo at her first choir concert, Jungeun had clapped the loudest.

  
\--

  
“Hey, Heejin, Chaewon, want to go to a café after? Jungie and I are going to study for midterms together.”

  
  
Chaewon doesn’t bother looking up as she continues tapping on her phone, too busy fishing in _Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp_ to pay any attention to her. Fortunately, Jiwoo’s too used to the treatment by the former. She just plants a heavy hand onto Chaewon’s head, fingers ruffling the hair lightly enough to elicit a muffled squeak of protest.

  
Heejin grins at the sight but shakes her head in apology. “Sorry, I have to go meet Hyunjin. We planned an impromptu movie night, and knowing how you and Jungeun unnie study, I doubt we’ll get anything done.”

  
Jiwoo pouts. “That’s not true!”

  
“You know it is. You and Jungeun unnie can never get anything done,” Chaewon’s soft voice pops in between, hand knocking Jiwoo’s to stop the assault on her hair. At least it got her to look away from her phone, Jiwoo thinks, Chaewon having had to put her phone in her pocket to use both her hands to fix the damage she had caused. “I can maybe come, depends on how much mom decides to yell at me when I get back home.”

  
“Maybe if you did your chores and actually cleaned your room, your mom wouldn’t yell at you.” Heejin interjects, “It’s pretty bad.”

  
Chaewon huffs her cheeks in protest, arms crossed in an attempt to look mad (though she only looks cuter in the process, round face accenting her round eyes. Jiwoo has to try real hard to stop from reaching over and pinching her cheeks).

  
Heejin apparently thinks the same, because her hands land on Chaewon’s cheeks, pulling and stretching the soft skin. “Awww, look at you pout. It’s okay, I can come over before I meet up with Hyunjin if you want?”

  
“No, you’re not allowed anywhere near my room.”

  
“Wait, me too!” Jiwoo raises her head, shoving her way between the two.

  
Chaewon frowns, “You’re not allowed either. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be waiting for Jungeun unnie right now?”

  
“Oh shoot, you’re absolutely correct.” Jiwoo frowns, glancing at the clock. She gathers the rest of her things, sliding them into her open backpack, swinging said item onto her back as she gives the younger girl’s a quick hug as parting. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

  
She’s quick to run, too quick that she doesn’t hear Heejin’s “Unnie! Your backpack is wide open— you know what, it’s fine.”

  
It’s only a three minute run to the dance halls (Jiwoo knows for certain because she’s timed it before to beat Jungeun at something or another), and although it’s 5:10 PM by the time she arrives, the music is still blaring.

  
An instrumental hip hop beat plays loudly through the shut doors; heavy bass and loud electronic pops that cover the sound of Jiwoo sliding the door open to enter without her presence being noticed. She sits near the sides of the door, settling herself onto the floor and curling up with her knees pressed against her chest as she peers curiously at the three dancers performing the routine.

  
There’s a blond girl on the left that she mistakes as Jungeun for a little bit only to notice that it’s slightly wavy in texture, and it’s a much lighter shade. Her eyes flicker to the other blond, quickly recognizing her best friend’s signature intensity, a sense of awe filling her insides at how different dancing Jungeun contrasted with her normal behavior.

  
She’s been to all her performances (best friend’s duty), but it’s always a treat to see Jungeun performance. She was taller, more striking, with a straight back and confident smirk that blew her away every time. The others were good, but Jungeun? She was fantastic.

  
However, it’s not Jungeun who manages to capture her attention. There’s a girl in the middle – long brown hair down the length of her back, and even longer limbs that secures the gaze of anyone around her.

  
Jiwoo’s entranced immediately.

  
The song closes with a final crash of noise, the three dancers fisting their right hand and shooting it out to the side to strike a final pose. Jiwoo can see their chests heave, backs slightly hunched from the exertion.

  
The instructor claps, looking pleased. He says something, though Jiwoo doesn’t quite hear as she’s too busy staring. The brunette turns around slightly to grab the towel off to the side, and be it by luck or misfortune, their eyes meet.

  
She’s pretty. Oh god, she’s so pretty.

  
The girl gives a friendly grin. Jiwoo tries her best to return the look, though she’s even quicker to tear her gaze away to her blank phone screen as she feels her smile falter into a panicked twitch.

  
Luckily, Jungeun swoops, sticky cheek pressed against Jiwoo’s as she pulls her close, a single arm thrown over her shoulder. “Hey there, Jiwooming. Enjoying the show?”

  
Jiwoo snaps her head back automatically, a whine leaving her lips as both her hands push back against Jungeun’s sweaty face. “Stop, you’re sweaty!”

  
“A friend?”

  
An unfamiliar voice pops in between. One of the other blond dancers, now equipped with a towel around her neck, smiles at her from behind Jungeun. Jiwoo flushes, realizing that the other blond is just as equally attractive as Jungeun, sharp features a stark contrast to round eyes and lively eyebrows that moved in tandem with her mouth.

  
“Nice to meet you, I’m Jung Jinsol, third year,” Jinsol pulls the brunette from earlier closer, arm looped around the tiny waist of the other affectionately, “Soo, come say hi.”

  
The brunette – Soo? – smiles at her, a similarly friendly smile to that of earlier. She extends her hand, “Jungeun, you never told us you had a friend so cute. I’m Ha Sooyoung, also a third year. Nice to meet you.”

  
Jiwoo flushes. Jinsol and Sooyoung had looked striking from far away but they were gorgeous at proximity, and although their friendliness contrasts from their charisma earlier, she’s at a loss for words. Jungeun clearly takes pleasure in this entire exchange – Jiwoo can see the smirk on her lips grow larger the longer she takes to answer, but this is a dire moment of panic, and she’s sure her heart’s going to explode from having not just one, but two pretty girls compliment her.

  
“U-Uh.” Jiwoo stutters. A moment passes. Sooyoung’s hand remains outstretched, though now a little awkward and confused with long fingers curling to the palm.

  
Jungeun rolls her eyes and pinches her arm.

  
The pains enough to startle her into action. Jiwoo thrusts her hand forward, accepting Sooyoung’s in her own dainty grip, fingers curling as though in slow-motion as she dips her head in a polite greeting. “Nice to meet you! I’m Kim Jiwoo, vocal student.”

  
“Oh, you’re the famous Kim Jiwoo,” Sooyoung turns to Jinsol who detaches herself to grab onto Jiwoo’s hand with both her own, enthusiastically shaking. “We’ve heard a lot about you from Jungeun! Says you’re the best singer around.”

  
Jiwoo feels her face burn. She turns her gaze onto Jungeun, her friend having chosen this time to sip at her water bottle, ignoring the lightly veiled threat in her eyes. “S-She did?”

  
“Yeah, showed us a clip too.” Sooyoung nods. Jiwoo can feel the older girl’s eyes scan her for a moment. She stiffens automatically, unsure of what to do with the sudden thud in her chest. “You have a really great voice.”

  
Jiwoo feels her throat close, the air sucker punched out of her lungs as she struggles to hold back the smile that threatens to split her lips. Jungeun clears her throat.

  
“I’ll be back in a second. Let me get changed and I’ll meet you back out here?” There’s a slight edge to Jungeun’s tone, her voice strained from what Jiwoo assumes is physical exhaustion.

  
“I’ll go with you,” Jinsol clasps her hands and extends her arms backwards, stretching out the cricks in her neck, “I feel gross. You coming, Soo?”

Sooyoung shakes her head, “I’m going to sit here and stretch for a bit. My ankle’s been feeling a bit weird.”

  
“Alright,” Jinsol bends forward, worry obvious by the way her eyebrows slope downwards, mimicking the face of a puppy, “Don’t work too hard.”

  
Jiwoo’s not quite sure what to do next. She gapes as soon as the Sooyoung leans forward for a quick peck on the lips, and the pounding of her heart stills quickly enough that she feels it fall into the pit of her stomach, a deep unsettlingly unfamiliar emotion poking at her from the inside. Jungeun manages to catch her staring, and Jiwoo clamps her mouth shut immediately when Jungeun’s eyes narrow.

  
“Alright, I’ll be there in five.”

  
Jinsol and Jungeun leave to the locker rooms. Jiwoo stays curled in her hunched position, not quite sure what to do except keep her eyes trained on her phone once again.

  
Her lockscreen is a picture of her and Jungeun at Lotte World, the two wearing silly matching hats that she had insisted on buying because “it fit the moment.”

  
“Sorry, did it bother you?”

  
Sooyoung is sitting beside her, one leg bent while the other is stretched forward. Her body is lithe and lean, though Jiwoo sees how the toned muscles move from the exposed area of her stomach. She swallows nervously, willing her eyes to stare at Sooyoung’s curious gaze instead.

  
“Bother me? I should be the one apologizing for barging into the lesson when you guys weren’t done,” she says back, the mumbled apology gurgled by nervousness before trailing to a quieted “Sorry.” Jiwoo’s usually good with strangers, chatty and bright, often fueled by nervousness to fill the anxiously quiet gap her and the other.

  
Ha Sooyoung, however, seems to be the exception.

  
“It’s fine, you weren’t loud or anything.” Sooyoung shrugs, switching to her other leg. “It was sort of funny though, watching you barge in with your backpack wide open.”

  
Oh no. Jiwoo blinks. “Huh?”

  
“You have a lot of stickers,” Sooyoung laughs, her smile turning into a bit of a smirk as she sits back up. She pulls her right knee close to her chest, twisting her body to the side. Jiwoo hears a couple cracks here and there from how Sooyoung’s back moves, and she flinches. “A fan of Disney, huh?”

  
Jiwoo feels her face pale, color draining quickly. Her hands fly to her backpack to zip the thing, covering the source of her embarrassment as she bites the inside of her cheek – hard. How dare her Stitch stickers out her so fast?

  
Sooyoung laughs the entire time at her. The sounds nice to listen to, but when it’s directed at her, Jiwoo wants to crawl under a rock and die. Why was Jungeun taking so long? God, she needed to get out of here fast.

  
“It’s fine, I like Disney too. Though, maybe not as much as you.” Sooyoung chuckles again, clearly teasing the younger, “Good to know that the kiss didn’t freak you out though.”

  
“O-Oh! That no, oh I’m gay, it’s fine. I don’t mind at all,” Jiwoo rambles, her hands flying forward in quick denial. (Chaewon had once called her the definition of gay panic, which she vehemently denied, but maybe there is a semblance of truth in the younger’s words). “Yeah, totally fine! I mean, you guys look happy together!”

  
Sooyoung nods, looking contemplative for a moment. Jiwoo’s not quite sure on how to proceed, confused by the look and equally frazzled at having been teased earlier, but when Sooyoung shoots her another golden smile, she’s desperately trying to mask the nervousness that spreads through to the tips of her fingertips.

  
God, Ha Sooyoung is so _dang_ pretty.

  
“You and Jungeun look good together too. How long has it been?”

  
Jiwoo chokes.

  
Sooyoung continues to look at her curiously, though this time her expression is tinged with concern. “Uh, are you okay?”

  
“Yeah,” No, absolutely not. Jiwoo fans at her face, willing the heat to subside. “You think Jungie and I are together?”

  
There’s visible confusion on Sooyoung’s face now. “Wait, what? You’re not? I seriously thought – oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

  
“No! No, it’s okay,” Jiwoo responds a little too quickly, unsure of what to do with all the rapidly firing thoughts in her head because one, apparently Sooyoung thinks she and her best friend are dating, two, she definitely thinks Sooyoung is way too attractive and it’s hard to think around her, and three, Jiwoo’s a little disappointed to know that Jinsol and her are definitely dating. “I just, no. No way, we are definitely just best friends.”

  
“Shit, sorry, this is awkward now isn’t it?” Sooyoung looks apologetic, hand flying to the back of her nape, “I just assumed since you two were so close whenever I saw you in the halls.”

  
“Hm?” Jiwoo’s lost again. Sooyoung had noticed her in the halls? Since when? Joowon (of all people) had called her a human megaphone once, but was she really that loud? “Wait, what?”

  
Sooyoung shrugs, and Jiwoo can see that she’s looking at her again, her eyes lingering a little too long. Jiwoo feels her face rise another degree from how it burns under the brunette’s gaze. The smirk is back, and it plays on the corner of Sooyoung’s lips. “Hard not to notice a cute girl. Jinsol’s actually the one who pointed you out first. Thought you looked like a puppy.”

  
“A puppy?” Jiwoo feels her mouth dry. Her? Cute? Before she can say anything in response, a newly changed Jungeun approaches her from the side, and Jinsol is back right, sitting on Sooyoung’s back as the other protests in pain.

  
“Ow, Sol, get off! You’re going to break my back.”

  
Jinsol just laughs it off, “You’re going around flirting with other girls while I’m gone. This is what you deserve.”

  
“Jesus, Sol,” a crack sounds followed by a low groan, “You’re heavy!”

Jiwoo isn’t quite sure whether she’s thankful for the appearance of the two blonds, but she’s glad that they at least saved her from stupidly replying with another long “uhhh” instead of something cohesive like a normal person.

  
Jungeun chuckles at the sight in front of her.

  
“I’ll see you two at rehearsal tomorrow. Jinsol unnie, break her back for me.”

  
“Will do! Bye, it was nice meeting you Jiwoo.” Jinsol responds cheerfully, adjusting her weight so Sooyoung’s body is almost folded in half.

  
“Remember to close your backpack, Kim Jiwoo, I’ll see you around.” Sooyoung grumbles from beneath the blond, waving as best she could with her arms locked to her side. “Ow, seriously, get off, you’re killing me!”

  
Jiwoo gives Jungeun a confused look. Jungeun shrugs in response, unsure of how to answer the questions lingering in the air.

  
\--

  
“Sorry, they’re usually not that bad.”

  
They’re walking back in the dark. It’s too late to go to the café at this point without troubling one of their parents, so they decide to stop by their preferred street food stall close to their neighborhood. Arranging the plastic seats so they were pushed closer to the side of the warm fish cakes at the corner, Jiwoo sat facing Jungeun, chopsticks balanced on her upper lip.

  
“It’s fine, they were fun.” She responds, thrusting her hand up to catch the attention of the owner. Jiwoo smiles brightly all while continuing to balance the chopsticks with only her mouth. “Two portions of tteokbokki and odeng, please, and one portion of dumplings too!”

  
Jungeun chuckles, stealing the cheap wooden chopsticks, “Remember to order some for me too.”

  
“Mister, could we actually get one more portion for all three please?” Jiwoo grins sheepishly, “Thank you.”

  
“Seems like you and Sooyoung unnie got along well?”

  
Jiwoo shrugs, unsure of how to answer the question, and even more unsure of how Sooyoung’s smile flashed briefly in her thoughts. “I mean, she’s really pretty? Like, her and Jinsol sunbae are so, so pretty.”

  
“Yeah, it’s super unfair. They’re usually always the soloists – I’m surprised you never noticed them before at the performances?”

  
“I’m too busy looking at you,” Jiwoo winks, both hands aiming finger guns at Jungeun. The latter openly grimaces, lips pushed lopsidedly in a look of mock disgust. “Gross.”

  
“You love me.”

  
“You’re lucky I do.”

  
The food arrives is placed in front of them as they dissolve into giggles, Jiwoo a little louder and longer than Jungeun – but that was normal for the two. Eventually, even if Jungeun was genuinely annoyed with her, Jiwoo knows that she would always break and smile. “Besides, Sooyoung sunbae told me her and Jinsol sunbae were dating so?”

  
“Oh yeah, they’re a little weird.” Jungeun shrugs, taking a bite of the steaming oden. “Ow, fuck, that’s hot.”

  
“Idiot.”

  
“Shut up. Anyways,” Jungeun huffs, blowing onto the food before taking another bite, “They say they’re dating but I don’t really buy it. I think it’s more of a sex-with-benefits or like dating for clout sort of scenario?”

  
Now it’s Jiwoo’s turn to be confused.

  
“What? That doesn’t even make sense!” Jiwoo tries to say, although the rice cakes stuffed in her mouth mangle the words into a strange gargle instead.

  
“Ew. Chew and then talk, girl. I can see everything.”

  
“I meant to say,” Jiwoo opens her mouth full of food to show Jungeun – which elicits a painful whack to the arm – before swallowing the contents. “How does that make sense? They literally kissed in front of us!”

  
“Your guess is as good as mine. I’ve only known them since the start of this year, and they started going out or whatever a month ago?”

  
Jiwoo deflates slightly, lips pursed as she blows upwards, moving her bangs with her breath alone. So it was settled, Sooyoung and Jinsol definitely aren’t single, and her interest in the brunette is crushed there and then with no chance of it growing larger.

  
Jungeun rolls her eyes, all too familiar with a pouting Jiwoo. “What, were you interested in one of them? Sorry to say, Kim Jiwoo, but they’re both way too out of your league.”

  
“Hey!” Jiwoo protests, shoulders slumped, “That’s so mean! I didn’t even say I was interested!”

  
“I can see the way you ogle at someone you think is pretty. Trust me, I’ve seen it plenty of times.” Jungeun gives her a knowing look, a single eyebrow lifted in her usual _I-told-you-so_ sort of way.

  
Jiwoo whines again, though she takes a bite of the dumpling Jungeun pushes against her lips.

  
She’s had crushes plenty of times, though they rotate frequently enough that Heejin often teases her, calling her a revolving door of interests that die and start with every turn. They’re always a certain type too – taller, older, charismatic, and (she’s a little embarrassed to admit it since Jungeun had laughed at her to the point of tears when she first admitted it) sexy.

  
Ha Sooyoung, unfortunately, fit all the standards.

  
So what? She’s definitely a bit interested in Sooyoung, but it’s not like the older girl cared about her – especially with a gorgeous girlfriend like Jung Jinsol. There was no point in pining over her. Besides, in a week she would be infatuated with someone new but for now, she’d just have to find ways to make sure her little spark of interest didn’t blow up in her face into a real crush. Now that would be annoying.

  
And with that final disheartening thought, Jiwoo shoves an entire dumpling into her throat.

  
Jungeun almost falls off her plastic chair laughing when Jiwoo squeaks in pain, tearing at how the searing hot dumpling burned a path from her mouth to stomach.


	2. andantino

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> written in the middle of finals i'm dying :^) i should be working on presentations + reports, but instead my brain fried and said write gay !! so here it is !!
> 
> as per usual unedited un'beta'd

Sooyoung and Jinsol say hello to her in the halls now.  


The first time it happens, Chaewon openly gawks. It turns out, much to Jiwoo’s chagrin, that the two are actually popular in their moderately sized high school of a couple hundred. Despite her status as a social butterfly, Jiwoo’s completely obviously to these sort of things – “How do you _not_ know?” Chaewon questions, exasperated. “They’re super hot!” – and it doesn’t help that Jungeun doesn’t really care about it either, too busy focusing on dance and passing math to really pay attention to realize their popularity rank.  


Heejin simply shrugs, preoccupied with texting on her phone with her current crush to reprimand Chaewon as she would normally do. “It’s not that big of a deal?”  


  
Chaewon looks almost offended. “Not a _big_ deal? It’s a huge deal!” Her thin arms raise above her head dramatically, “They’re seniors who are models!”

  
“Models?” Jungeun perks up from her stack of books and haphazardly laid papers. “They modeled? I didn’t know that.”

  
Jiwoo closes her biology book, craning her head to look towards Chaewon’s phone from across the shared library table. The younger girl had opened Instagram, fingers furiously typing as before thrusting forward a picture of Ha Sooyoung dressed and styled for an online shopping mall of some sorts.

  
“It was only for a little, but they still did that.”

  
Jiwoo leans in closer.

  
Sooyoung is hot, but she’s definitely hotter with a black off-the-shoulder shirt that reveals her collarbones.

  
“Wipe the drool, Wooming,” Jungeun teases, “You’re staring.”

  
“I am not!” Jiwoo squeaks. Her fingers wipe at the corner of her lips anyways, ignoring the burn that accompanies when she hears Jungeun snicker.

  
Heejin looks up from texting, eyebrows dancing on her forehead as she glances at Jiwoo. “Definitely your type.”

  
“Why am I being attacked – !”

  
“Quiet in the library!”

  
The librarian’s sharp glare quickly stills the conversation, the four girls pushing their noses into the closest textbook to avoid incurring further wrath from the beady-eyed woman. Mrs. Lee is a nice lady, and sure she’s helped Jiwoo reach a couple of books when her short height disallowed her to reach the necessary material, but she had also more than once threatened to kick out their group for being too loud. Today, Mrs. Lee with her slight hook nose and sliding glasses looks more serious than before.

  
Jiwoo hears Chaewon gulp, having been the unfortunate one to catch the librarian’s gaze.

  
They attempt to study, like _actually_ study, and all it takes is Heejin wrestling phones away from all three of them and placing it into her zipped backpack and the promise of impromptu karaoke.

  
(“ _We can karaoke for as long as you study!_ ” Heejin whispers.

  
“ _Get ready, bitch, for a five-hour long session then._ ” Jungeun threatens back, smirk on her lips.

  
Chaewon rolls her eyes, “ _The library closes in two hours_.”

  
…

  
“ _Two-hour session._ ”)

  
Too bad Jiwoo’s still thinking about Sooyoung’s collarbones and how nice she looks with deep red lipstick to focus on Korean history.

  
\--

  
The next day starts a loud hacking cough from deep within her chest. Jiwoo frowns; she isn’t really one to get sick, having a sort of impeccable immune system that rivals that of Hyunjin’s, but perhaps she had gone a little hard at yesterday’s karaoke. Their two-hour karaoke session had, with the grace of Heejin’s delightful charm and Jungeun’s mildly threatening nature, increased to a good four-hour session where the girls had screamed and shouted more than sang.

  
Chaewon had somehow managed to rap the entirety of TOP’s _Doom Dada_ without as much as a breath in between the words – the girl was always so sweet and quiet, but moments like these seem much closer to her true nature. Or that’s what Jiwoo likes to think before returning to coo-ing and pampering the girl as though she were her own child and not just a couple years apart in age. (Jungeun had also challenged her to an emo heavy metal sing-off, and she wasn’t about to lose to a _wannabe_ MCR fan). Nevertheless, she has enough pep in her left to squeak out a hasty goodbye to her parents before shooting out the door towards the bus stop.

  
By the time she arrives, Jungeun stands waiting, her signature blond hair tied into a high ponytail.

  
“Hey,” Jiwoo rasps, her voice still throaty and raw. She smiles, regardless, arm quickly looping through the blond’s. “How’re you doing?”

  
Jungeun grimaces, pointing at her neck and making a small ‘x’ with her pointer fingers.

  
“You lost your voice?”

  
Jungeun nods. There’s a frown on her face, and she’s clearly displeased by it.

  
Jiwoo grins wickedly, “Great. Time to mock you all day long.”

  
The frown on Jungeun only grows larger.

  
“Hey,” she shrugs, offering the girl a cough drop (lemon flavored) before popping one into her own mouth, “At least you dance. You don’t have to use your voice.”

  
Singing.

  
Oh no.

  
She had private voice lessons today.

  
Jungeun must have caught the smile slipping from her face because the blond is smirking this time. She pulls out a piece of scratch paper, flipping to the empty back page before scribbling down a note and tossing it into her hands.

_  
You’re so screwed._

  
Jiwoo buries her face in her hands and groans.

  
\--

  
“A singer is as good as her voice!”

  
Jiwoo winces. She presses her knees together, fingers curled into the hem of her skirt. Embarrassment creeps on her face, followed by a flash of heat that light up her ears; her vocal coach’s tone remains cool, the contradicting pair only worsening the heat of shame as her coach continues the stern reprimanding for what feels like eternity.

  
“We’ll just have to reschedule your lesson to another time this week.”

  
She bites her lower lip, head bowed apologetically.

  
A sigh. “Kim Jiwoo, you were born with a great voice. But don’t let yourself get cocky – there are plenty of people with great voices and not enough discipline. Now lift your head,” Jiwoo does, unable to meet her teacher’s steady gaze for more than a couple seconds. “I’ll send you an email for a different time. Let me know what works best for you – for now, I want you to finish composing the piece you’ve been working on to present next week. We’ll have to double up.”

  
“Okay.” Jiwoo nods.

  
Her teacher smiles gently to soften the stinging reprimands from earlier. “I look forward to it.”

  
\--

  
Lights flicker for a moment as Jiwoo enters the empty practice room. Its blank white walls beckon her in a welcoming manner as the door slides shut behind her; there’s only a single narrow pane of glass that allows only a glimpse of distorted distractions to filter inside. A piano sits in the corner of the room, the only other furniture a single music stand and plastic chair placed to the side to accommodate a duet partner.

  
Jiwoo settles onto the piano bench, placing her bag to the side before setting a timer on her phone for three hours. Jungeun would be finished with her rehearsal by then, and then they would catch the bus back home together.

  
For now, her concentration heads straight into the black and white beauty in front of her. A quick scale to warm up, and then a practice piece she uses to stretch her fingers further until she feels fully relaxed. And then she breaks out a cacophony of sound, letting her tensed digits dig into the keys, the percussive mallets inside bouncing upwards and crashing down to create the sound she so desired. It’s frustrated and tense, though melodic enough to keep her from flinching at the disruptive chords.

  
Her mother had forced her to take lessons at the young age of five. Jiwoo had unable to keep her tiny hands off the small electronic keyboard her father had been gifted by a close friend of theirs. Apparently, the sound had sent her mother into a disgruntled spiral from the disastrous (yet jovial) harmonies that came from her smashing her fists onto plastic keys. Her father, however, had been against throwing the old thing away as Jiwoo would apparently giggle happily whenever given the chance to play, thus her mother conceded into letting them keep the instrument of household torture in exchange that Jiwoo properly learn to play.

  
Needless to say, she was immediately smitten.

 _  
Allegro affettuoso Piano Concerto in A minor_ , Schumann.

  
Sure, she was supposed to compose and finish her piece, but the entire thing felt dead anyways (maybe she should just scrap it and try again?). She can’t be bothered to do it now – especially after having gotten yelled at for a good five minutes. What she wants is to pound out a piece, pushing her limits just to prove she still had the talent of some capacity, and what better to test her then classical music?

  
Jiwoo sets the room’s metronome, letting the steady beats crawl into the marrow of her bones before setting her mind loose.

  
\--

  
A rap on the door breaks her from the fleeting euphoria. Her hands still, lifted midair just before the final repetition of the song – a disappointing finish to what had gone so seamlessly until this very moment. Jiwoo looks at the time sheet located next to the entrance. No one is supposed to be here at this time. She looks around briefly – perhaps a lost item? – before letting a sigh escape her mouth as she opens the door.

  
“Sorry, were you using this room?”

  
“Uh, nope, sorry,” Sooyoung smiles, sheepishly at first, though it quickly transforms. “I figured it was you, Kim Jiwoo.”

  
Jiwoo feels her heart catch in her throat.

  
Any previous annoyance she had with the intruder quickly dissolves, and instead a confused gape takes hold of her features. Here in front of Jiwoo stands the dancing beauty, the object of her affection. Sooyoung’s wearing a simple red oversized sweater (school was over, and though it was technically against the rules, the teachers’ usually let it slide for students staying after) and complimentary blue jeans, the characteristic smirk replaced by a crooked smile where her right side lifts a little higher than her left. How Sooyoung looks so good in such simple clothes and a lopsided smile leaves Jiwoo stunned.

  
How the hell did she find her though?

  
“Sooyoung sunbaenim!” Her voice leaps three octaves higher. She coughs, clearing the crackle in her throat with an embarrassed throaty noise. “What’re you doing here? Don’t you have rehearsal?”

  
She catches the flicker on Sooyoung’s face, though it’s quick to disappear into that easy smile. Jiwoo gulps as Sooyoung runs a hand through her hair, parting the brown locks in what she assumes is nervous mannerism, before pointing down to her foot.

  
Bandages.

  
Jiwoo frowns.

  
A singer is only as good as her voice. A dancer is only as good as her body.

  
“What happened?” Jiwoo crouches, examining the bandages tied around her ankle. “Are you okay?”

  
Sooyoung shrugs again. “An accident at home. I’m fine though, just did something stupid and rolled it kind of badly. Should be back in a couple of weeks, but they want me to take this month off to rest.”

  
“Oh.”

  
“Mind if I come in? It doesn’t hurt too much, but it is sort of uncomfortable to stand on.”

  
Jiwoo has questions – many, to be frank. Sooyoung’s tone, however soft and melodic, is strained and it’s clear she doesn’t want to talk about it. So, Jiwoo doesn’t press. Instead, she opens the door wide, offering extra plastic chair that’s placed in the corner of the practice room.

  
“Excuse me,” Sooyoung takes the seat, offering a grateful smile. Jiwoo takes her place at the edge of the piano bench, hands returning to their usual position on her knees as she leans forward slightly, head tilted to the side. Her entire presence exudes curiosity, though her voice remains feeble and weak, shackled by both shyness and exhaustion.

  
The air grows awkward. Jiwoo runs her fingers down the hem of her skirt once before absentmindedly pressing down on one of the white keys. It clicks down, though the light pressure renders the sound invisible, absolving into thin air without a trace of sound. Sooyoung continues to look at her with equal interest, seemingly unaffected by the oppressive silence that Jiwoo’s afflicted by.

  
“Sorry, was I interrupting?”

  
Sooyoung’s sudden apology knocks Jiwoo into motion once again. She coughs, throat pulsating with an impossible itch that can’t be rid without her hacking up a lung or worse. Is it nervousness or illness that brought her to this state?

  
“It’s okay,” she mumbles quietly after a long sip of water from her bottle, “I was just running over some piano exercises.”

  
“You play piano too, huh? Guess everyone in the music department plays some sort of instrument.”

  
Jiwoo nods, “Yeah. I’ve been playing since I was young, probably before I even started singing. It’s sort of nice too, knowing you can make music without having to rely on just one thing or another. There’s a lot of combinations too, like Jungie plays the guitar too so she and Heejin and I have played ensemble stuff or group songs together before for fun.”

  
“Jungeun plays the guitar? That girl is ridiculously talented.” Sooyoung looks shocked. Then again, Jungeun despite her loudmouth tendencies, isn’t particularly one to brag.

  
“Violin and piano too,” Jiwoo nods seriously, eyebrows crinkled together because Sooyoung is absolutely correct. Kim Jungeun is way too talented. “She’s so good at everything. Except math – but don’t tell her I said that!” Jiwoo drops her voice into a whisper-shout, eyes darting to the side in a show of guilt, “She would kill me if I badmouthed her in front of you!”

  
“So even a maestro has her faults,” Sooyoung laughs, letting her voice drop to a low rumble to match Jiwoo’s volume. “Her secret is safe with me. I will not mention any shapes, graphs, or numbers of any form around her!”

  
The teasing quality of her voice has Jiwoo questioning the validity of the statement, but seeing Sooyoung smile, a real genuine smile, might be worth getting the brunt of Jungeun’s embarrassed whines later. Jiwoo chuckles along for a little bit before the sound trails, deadened by the soundproofed walls.

  
It grows awkward again. She can see that the atmosphere is getting to Sooyoung this time by how the older girl shifts, balancing her foot so that the wrapped ankle is slightly lifted, resting on top of her backpack for the leverage. The blank walls also offer no respite either, the dull whiteness an overwhelmingly boring and not at all a suitable topic of conversation to distract from the encroaching clumsy silence.

  
Jiwoo clears her throat again, lips parted to say absolutely nothing as her brain short-circuits, distracted by the noisy beating of her heart. The relief is almost immediately when Sooyoung finally decides to cut the quiet.

  
“You can just call me unnie, you know.” Sooyoung looks almost embarrassed by the statement. Jiwoo thinks she can see a tinge of pink brushed on the girl’s fair skin, though she’s once again distracted by how amazing Sooyoung looks when she runs a hand through her hair nervously. “You don’t have to be that polite with me – Jungeun doesn’t bother, so I’m cool with it.”

  
“O-Oh? Is that really okay? I wouldn’t want to offend or anything…” Would that mean she could call Jinsol unnie too? Maybe she should ask the blond directly later.

  
“Yeah, it’s fine. Formalities aren’t really my thing – they’re kind of distracting, don’t you think?”

  
“I mean,” Jiwoo purses her lips, thinking of the number of times she’s used her age superiority to get Heejin or Chaewon to mess around during rehearsals sometimes. (She’s not a tyrant, she swears, since she fairly compensates the two with her love and affection.) “It’s useful?”

  
Sooyoung snorts, clearly amused. “I see. Don’t bully your underclassmen too much, or else they’ll end up bullying whoever comes in next year.”

  
“I do not bully them!”

  
“Sure, whatever you say.”

  
“Unnie!”

  
“What?” Sooyoung laughs louder this time, much to Jiwoo’s chagrin. “I only speak the truth!”

  
“You’re the one bullying me now!”

  
“You’re absolutely right. I am aren’t I?”

  
Jiwoo huffs. Her retorts were never any good to begin with (her arguments with Jungeun usually dwindled to a feeble “ _No, you!_ ” and it seemed she remains consistent in that aspect), but Sooyoung’s wit rivals her best friend’s. “You came here just to bully me, huh?”

  
“Actually, I came because I wanted to see who was playing.”

  
That manages to catch her off-guard. Sooyoung doesn’t seem to notice. “You’re really good.”

  
A flash of heat slaps her face. Jiwoo falters, her pretense of rebuff quickly dropped as she stumbles for her words, brain imploring her mouth to work properly. Instead, it’s her heart skip that starts, and despite all her promises and efforts not to crush on Sooyoung – Sooyoung who is _currently_ dating another hot senior – she can feel the tiny pit in her stomach swell and harden, the feelings solidifying into a molten lava that decides to burn her from inside out.

  
“Do you mind if I listen? I won’t say anything,” Sooyoung looks at her. “I’ll read a book or do homework or something if that’ll make you feel more comfortable.”

  
Round eyes widen ever so slightly, and is Ha Sooyoung pouting? How is she supposed to say no to that! (Not like she was ever going to say no to her.)

  
“Uh,” Jiwoo swallows, nervous, “Sure? I don’t mind.”

  
Sooyoung smiles, brightening significantly. “Cool! Thanks, I’ll uh, just stay here, quiet. Let me know if you ever want to kick me out or anything if I’m being too distracting.”

 _  
You’re already distracting_. Jiwoo bites her tongue, giving a practiced smile before clearing her throat, fingers dancing lightly across the surface of the piano as she pulled into every crevice of her brain to search for a suitable song. Nothing too flashy – that would make her look arrogant – but nothing too easy that Sooyoung would get bored and leave. Then again, Jiwoo purses her lips, she only knew the classic piano concertos, some showtunes, and whatever she had or was currently composing.

  
She presses some chords absentmindedly, letting her eyes wander to Sooyoung; her hands worked differently from the rest of her thoughts, fingers carelessly playing scale exercises to warm up. Sooyoung, despite her attempts to look busy with a novel perched on her lap, is quite obviously distracted.

 _  
She’s pretty_. The thought crosses Jiwoo’s mind once more. It feels different – a light and fluttering sort of bubbliness that starts from the pit of her stomach and crawls upwards to her chest. The familiar warmth spreads across her cheeks, painting the skin a pale pink as she continues to gaze at Sooyoung with nothing more than quaint curiosity and a want to absorb the details of Ha Sooyoung’s very existence. Her pinky holds a ringing E#, letting the note shimmer into the air, cascading down to overlay a melodic minor melody her brain decides to create on the spot.

  
Sooyoung doesn’t say anything as she finishes. She hardly even moves. The only way Jiwoo knows she’s paying attention and not actually asleep is how she sways slightly to the music, eyelids fluttering open occasionally to meet Jiwoo’s own wandering gaze or to look down at how her hands danced around with practiced accuracy. Neither of them talks, but the brief moments of tranquil silence between songs is comfortable.

  
Jiwoo is in the middle of a softer contemporary piece ( _Nostalgia_ , a song recommended by one of her brothers who happened to also be a piano player) when she lets her eyes trail across the floor of the room slowly until they’re on Sooyoung once more.

  
This time, Sooyoung returns her gaze.

  
A familiar feeling in her chest returns as Sooyoung holds eyecontact, and Jiwoo, unable to move – afraid to move in possibility of breaking the spell – continues to play. Her fingers press lightly, keys barely giving into the pressure to produce only the lightest of melodies, airy and ebullient.

  
Nothing she does can stop the heat from rising from the pit of her stomach to paint her cheeks with a dusty pink. If Sooyoung notices the sudden rise in heat, she doesn’t give any indication. Her eyes, however, urge Jiwoo to continue playing.

  
They’re bound to this room, enchanted by the songs that translate thought to music by only her fingers and the piano.

  
The short song finishes, and before Jiwoo’s allowed to run straight into another accompanying piece, her phone rings.

_  
Beep! Beep! Beep!_

  
And just like that, it vanishes.

  
Sooyoung’s looking at her with a peculiar gaze, as though Jiwoo’s a penguin at a zoo and not just some awkward high school girl she had met a month earlier. Jiwoo’s sure she’s staring back with a dopey look, her lips malfunctioning as they press together nervously, unable to return to their default smile. That seemed to happen a lot around Ha Sooyoung though, her body just refusing to listen to her as though the brunette is her personal kryptonite or something ( _she might as well be_ , Jiwoo muses, her thoughts traveling too fast and casually for her to really analyze what she said – not that she wanted to at the given moment).

  
“Sorry,” she mumbles, shutting off the timer and ducking her head. Maybe if her bangs were a little longer, she could hide behind them. And then Sooyoung would never see her – if Jiwoo can’t see anyone, no one could see her.

  
“You’re amazing,” Sooyoung says instead, breathless.

  
Jiwoo feels the air leave her, knocked out once more by the careless statement.

  
“What?”

  
Sooyoung looks almost embarrassed, and if Jiwoo is looking correctly, it looks like there’s a light tinge of red brushed on her cheekbones. There’s an awkward lull before Sooyoung visibly swallows, “I think you’re amazing."

Jiwoo feels her heart thud against her chest (and a small voice inside her head scream the loudest “ _YES!_ ” her inner thoughts could muster at the current moment). Her stomach turns, and suddenly she feels a strange mixture of both wanting to throw up and wanting to yell in joy all at once.

  
“I-I’m not that good, just like, average, you know – “

  
“No!” Sooyoung cuts in, one hand placed on her nape in growing embarrassment. Jiwoo doesn’t know what to do but blush harder, trying to get her mouth to stop smiling so dumbly. “You’re really good. Like I’ve been here for three years, and you’re… wow.”

  
“Wow?” Jiwoo teases, placing both her palms against her cheek to hide the redness. “Just wow?”

  
Sooyoung looks a dumbfounded by the sudden playfulness, but she’s quick to retaliate with her own quirked brow. “Be grateful, Kim Jiwoo, I don’t compliment easily.”

  
“You don’t even play piano, I bet you don’t have standards.” Jiwoo retaliates.

  
“You’re right.” Sooyoung looks almost contemplative. “Teach me to play?”

  
“Seriously?”

  
“Seriously.”

  
“Why not get Jungeun or Jinsol sunbae?” Jungeun had mentioned briefly in passing that Jinsol actually played piano as well, and that the two would break into spontaneously duets whenever the practices got boring. If Jinsol could keep up with Jungeun, she’s definitely better than the average person. Jiwoo frowns, more confused than anything. So why her?

  
Sooyoung carefully lets her injured ankle slide down until her foot touched the floor. “Because they’re busy. Jungeun took my place as Jinsol’s partner in one of the dances since I got injured and can’t perform for the show next month, so they’re gonna be together a lot.”

  
“Oh.”

  
So she was just the only available option? The warmth that previously settled in her chest dissolves, sliding out of her with a staccato sigh. Jiwoo shifts, looking down at her short-nails, carefully painted a pastel pink. “I have to finish composing a song so… I don’t know if I’ll have time?”

  
“Huh… Okay. Sorry for springing that onto you so suddenly, I forget that we’re all students.” This time, it’s Sooyoung who frowns despite the chuckle. Her eyebrows furrow together, creating a line on her forehead. Regret, and perhaps a little disappointment, hits Jiwoo like a brick. Sooyoung just wants to learn, and Jiwoo… what was she even expecting anyways?

 _  
She’s dating Jinsol_.

  
She’s dating Jinsol. There’s nothing happening between the two of them, and whatever that was before when Jiwoo was playing and Sooyoung listening to her so carefully was just something she imagined anyways. It hadn’t meant anything to the older girl, and she – Jiwoo sighs. It’s no use.

  
“I can spare a couple hours a week?”

  
Sooyoung whips her head up, round eyes piercing Jiwoo’s.

  
“Really? Shit, that’s great – wait, but like, if you’re actually really busy I don’t want to bother you. This is really just a selfish request.”

  
“It’s fine,” Jiwoo waves her hand, shrugging casually, “Choir usually ends a little earlier than dance rehearsals anyways. Plus, we get a day off for private lessons.”

  
“Yeah! Totally, that’s fine, whenever you’re free.” Sooyoung smiles, nodding with an enthusiasm Jiwoo doesn’t expect.

  
Her phone rumbles, distracting her from her thought.

  
**From: Jungie**  
  
_girl, where u?_

_we just finished come thru  
_

_also heard u got yelled at dumbass i’ll but u ice cream so_

_*buy shit_

  
Jiwoo smiles despite herself, typing a quick “ _omw, sry got caught up_ ” before standing to pack her things. So typical of Jungeun, she always did love to take care of Jiwoo, using treats often as a way to cheer her up whenever she was having a bad day.

  
Sooyoung gives her another one of her pensive looks.

  
Standing at the door, Jiwoo turns her head, twisting slightly to face the girl who remained sitting on the plastic chair. “Are you coming, unnie? I’m sure Jinsol sunbae is waiting too.”

  
“Nah,” Sooyoung shrugs, “She went home already, promised to babysit her friend’s younger sister for her.”

  
“Oh. Um, are you going to stay here or?”

  
“You’re funny,” the brunette chuckles, finally leaving her spot to throw her book haphazardly into her backpack. She slides one arm through, letting it settle just on a single shoulder as the other free arm lightly pats Jiwoo’s head. “Thanks for giving me these lessons, I’ll pay you back.”

  
Jiwoo squeaks, blood thudding against her eardrums at the action. “I-It’s okay! I don’t mind.”

  
“People deserve to be compensated for their work! Just because someone’s hot doesn’t mean they should take advantage of you.” Sooyoung laughs, exiting the room first before waving goodbye. “See you around, Kim Jiwoo.”

  
“B-Bye!” Jiwoo hastily waves goodbye.

  
Sooyoung turns the corner with another wave, her bandaged ankle the last thing Jiwoo sees before she disappears from sight.

  
\--

  
“She really called herself hot, huh.” Jungeun snorts. Her voice had finally returned to her by the end of the day (turns out not talking for essentially twelve hours really does aid the healing process), though she's force to talk at half her usual volume.

  
They’re sitting on the plastic cartons on the curb of a corner store. Jiwoo has a strawberry twist popsicle shoved into the pockets of her cheek while Jungeun takes a bite of her own peanut dipped vanilla cone. They had walked to the corner store nearest to their school (just a block away from the entrance) and as promised, Jungeun had treated her for ice cream, hugging her for good measure.

  
She’s tired, her throat sore from having explained everything ( _well, almost everything. She kept the staring bits of her story to herself, afraid of contaminating the magic_ ). Now they sat, shoulder to shoulder, Jiwoo leaning against the blond’s shoulder as she lazily taps against her phone on a cookie counter game app.

  
(“ _This is literally the dumbest thing, Jiwooming_.” Jungeun had commented. Heejin was quick to pipe her agreement, “ _All you do is click? Literally pointless_.”

  
Too bad Jiwoo likes the brightly colored graphics enough to continue annoying them by pointedly playing whenever the two are around.)

  
“It’s kind of impressive how much self-confidence she has.” Jiwoo muses out loud, _And it’s not like she’s wrong. Ha Sooyoung is definitely very attractive_.

  
She can basically hear how Jungeun rolls her eyes, “Well at least she knows she’s attractive. Anyways, you’re really going to teach her how to play?”

  
“I mean, I promised already, so I can’t just say no now? Besides,” Jiwoo takes a small nibble of her popsicle, biting off the melty bits. “I think it’ll be fun? Congratulations on getting a solo with Jinsol sunbae though.”

  
“Thanks, I feel kind of bad since I got it unfairly though. But seriously, you should say no if you’re busy though. I know you have the composing assignment to finished.”

  
Jiwoo sighs through her nose, “Yeah. It’s fine.” _I want to hang out with her_.

  
The last part goes unsaid, but Jiwoo knows Jungeun understands.

  
Jungeun sighs. Her voice deflates, defeated. Maybe even a little annoyed? “Alright, whatever you want.”

  
“Do you not like Sooyoung unnie?” Jiwoo lifts her head from Jungeun’s shoulder, eyeing her carefully.

  
“No, no! Definitely nothing like that, I’m just…” Jungeun bites her lower lip, avoiding Jiwoo’s curious eyes. “I just don’t want you to be overwhelmed is all.”

  
She gives a singular nod before returning her cheek onto Jungeun’s sturdy shoulder. Jungeun isn’t the type to lie or skirt around an issue. Besides, if someone was truly annoying Jungeun, she wouldn’t even bother speaking to them at all – choosing avoidance over confrontation is a very Kim Jungeun thing to do.

  
A phone buzzes. Jiwoo looks down at her own phone, noticing only the earlier message from her mom asking what time she was getting home.

  
“Sooyoung unnie texted me.” Jungeun unlocks her phone, fingers tapping back a quick reply. “She’s asking me for your number.”

  
“Huh?” Jiwoo almost lets the popsicle slide from her hands (luckily, she’s quick enough to catch the stick without losing the entire thing to pebbly pavement). “Mine?”

  
“Yeah.” A side-eye from Jungeun. “Do you want me to give it to her? You can say no and I’ll make up an excuse.”

  
“N-No, it’s fine! I don’t mind.” Jiwoo tries her best to keep her voice level and cool, as though completely unaffected. It fails, however, when her voice hitches, the last word mangled by her tongue in the unfortunate attempt.

  
Jungeun nods, “Wipe the grin off your face. I’m sure she just wants to ask about the piano lessons.”

  
Jiwoo hadn’t even noticed she was grinning like mad, but the realization has her blushing a vivid pink.

  
\--

  
It’s almost midnight when she gets a text.

  
Jiwoo turns on her bed, too distracted by her hammering heart and wild thoughts to sleep properly. Even if she closes her eyes, she’s transported back to the music room, reimagining – reliving the scene where Sooyoung had gazed at her with an emotion she can only name as affection.

  
Her screen lights up with the presence of a new message.

**  
From: Unknown**

_hey it’s sooyoung_

_jungeun gave me your number. sorry for texting so late_

_thx for agreeing to teach me, lmk when ur free next?_

  
Jiwoo kicks her feet in the air, blanket rising landing back on her exposed legs haphazardly as she suppresses a squeak. _Sooyoung is dating Jinsol, Sooyoung is dating Jinsol, she's just being friendly, Sooyoung is dating Jinsol._ The mantra repeats in her head as she tries to hold control over her overexcited heartbeat. _Sooyoung is dating Jinsol, Sooyoung is dating -- oh screw this_.

  
She ends up unable to sleep the whole night, fingers hovered over her phone as her brain races for the perfect response.

  
Tomorrow was going to be a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :^) so i have most of the story fleshed out in outlines but who knows what i feel like doing/what the people want LOL 
> 
> anyways :^) i might write some offshoots later. i just want to finish my finals rip thank u to all those who's read/commented/left kudos/subscribed!! i really appreciate ur support in this story ahh


	3. comma : 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sooyoung wants a story, Jiwoo complies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! welcome to my 3am updates where i write fanfics instead of doing any of my final research papers!!!! i wanna die!!!
> 
> regardless, this is a very self-indulgent story that has little bearing on the main plotline but is just a way to stuff characterization (and maybe some foreshadowing!!). i'm sort of using these as a way to play around with narrative and writing styles for my own personal benefit (and to just explain side couples i suppose?)
> 
> anyways! here we go, pls enjoy!
> 
> note: i'm also thinking of doing a 2jin offshoot from this universe, but we'll see if i ever get around to that. i have os many works in progress help :^)

( “How was your weekend? Tell me a story before we start.”  
  


Jiwoo stares stupefied. “Huh?”

  
“I just want to know how your weekend went before we start.” Sooyoung scoots next to her on the narrow piano bench, effectively trapping her from leaving the seat. “In exchange I’ll tell you a story.”

  
Her heart trembles at the proximity, though luckily, she’s steeled herself in preparation for this. Today is not the day Kim Jiwoo becomes a blubbering fool in front of her crush – one that seems to know her every thought before she herself could even pinpoint her swaying emotions.

  
“I can tell you about my friends?”

  
Sooyoung grins, “I have all day.” )

  
\--

  
Chaewon and Jiwoo had bet who would get into a relationship first between the four friends.

  
Chaewon had always shown little interest in people, preferring the quieter company of animals, the Internet, or her Nintendo gaming system as her introversion sparked an automatic shyness to strangers. Chaewon thought deeply and spoke slow, words carefully chosen to match the situation as necessary – a contrast to the bullet-speed wit of Jungeun and Heejin, and Jiwoo’s overall (notably hyperactive) personality. She is, in Jiwoo’s opinion, one of the most observant yet simultaneously one of the most gullible people she’s ever met.

  
“I think it would either be you or Heejin,” Chaewon says, taking a sip from her iced latte. “Heejin’s always texting her childhood friend…” A pause. “Actually, I think, hm, I think Heejin will be the first to get into a relationship.”

  
“What about me?” Jiwoo whines, dragging out the last letter with a pout.

  
“I mean, you’re always falling for someone or another.” Chaewon shrugs, “I’d say you and Jungeun would tie for second.”

  
“What? No way, Jungie before me?”

  
“What’re you being so rude for, Jiwooming,” Jungeun cuts in, holding a tray of two coffees (cappuccino for Jungeun, and a matcha latte for herself) and cheesecake as she slides into the seat next to Jiwoo. “Here I am, grabbing drinks for the two of us, and you’re talking shit, huh?”

  
“I mean, I’ve never even heard of you having a crush before so it’s not _my fault_ I think you’re last on the list!”

  
Jungeun gasps, “Even beneath Chaewon?”

  
“I fully resent that.” Chaewon pipes in, throwing a playful glare in Jungeun’s direction. “I’m just waiting for the right one. I don’t like wasting time.”

  
“You sound just like Jungeun.” Jiwoo sighs, cheek resting against the palm of her hand as she lazily flips her music theory textbook backwards, trying to recall where she had last left off in the overly highlighted passages. “You believe in soulmates too?”

  
Jungeun looks at the blond intensely while Chaewon hums, indifferent words plodding and slow. “Mmm, I wouldn’t say I believe in it? I think it’s just something nice. Soulmates are kind of like cats? Fleeting, but they’ll come when they want to.”

  
The answer fails to satisfy both Jungeun (who mumbles something along the lines of “ _Can’t believe romance is dead_ ”) and Jiwoo who’s frowning because one, she doesn’t quite understand the cat metaphor, and two, Chaewon’s being her usual noncontradictory self. She’s not mad at Chaewon, arguably the most neutral between the four, but she is a little frustrated that no one else seemed to share her viewpoint on the matter. To think that there’s only one person in a world of billions seems awful. What if her soulmate doesn’t speak Korean and Jiwoo can’t speak whatever language they spoke either? Then what? And what if they live so far away, oceans and oceans far, that one would have to sacrifice their entire lives to move countries – she couldn’t bear to think of what would happen if she had to choose between the love of her life and her family and friends. Or what if they never meet because of the distance? Then would they both be destined to die alone?

  
Jiwoo doesn’t like the idea of soulmates.

  
It’s just too sad.

  
Chaewon shrugs in response, having expected the reaction of the two. Instead of letting the air settle to a lull, she turns to face Jungeun, homework forgotten under the tray that holds her iced latte and chocolate cake. “When is your friend coming?”

  
“She should be here soon?” Jungeun checks her phone, “Yeah, she just got off the bus so.”

  
“What was her name again? Choi…?” Jiwoo vaguely remembers Jungeun mentioning the other girl’s name in their group chat, stating that she’s a year below them (so Chaewon and Heejin’s year) and wanted some friends outside of her circle of “oldies.”

  
“Yerim. Choi Yerim. She dyed her hair purple recently.”

 

“Oh!” Chaewon nods, recognition clear in her eyes, “She’s pretty. And really loud.”

  
Jungeun chuckles, “That’s her. She’s almost as talkative as Jiwoo.”

  
“Hey!”

  
“No way,” Chaewon scrunches her nose in disbelief, “No one talks more than Jiwoo unnie.”

  
Jiwoo shoots the girl a glare only to earn the teasing giggles of her two friends. Puffing her cheeks out in protest, she huffs a quiet sigh through her nostrils and returns to her matcha latte, sipping through the straw until enough liquid fills both pouches of her cheek.

  
A finger, Chaewon’s, pokes at her right. “You look like Hamtaro.”

  
“You’re right. It’s so bouncy,” Jungeun plays along, pinching her left cheek while still careful not to overdue it in case of some spillage.

  
Jiwoo gurgles a reply, her drink which was supposed to show her displeasure instead inhibited her from responding back properly. She played herself this time. Unable to use words, Jiwoo frowns deeply as she could, trying to swallow the matcha latte as quickly as possible; a single finger wags disapprovingly as Chaewon continues to poke at her cheek, giggling the entire time.

  
On the positive, Jungeun’s stopped bothering her.

  
Negatively, she’s started recording the whole thing instead – all when commenting on what was going on with a huge shit-eating grin on her face.

With a final swallow of her mouth-temperature, lukewarm latte, Jiwoo gathers all her thoughts, ready to launch into a tirade of how she’s _not_ loud and how _rude_ of her friends to take advantage of her in this vulnerable too-much-liquids-in-my-mouth-to-properly-bicker state. “You’re the worst –”

  
“Hi!”

  
A peppy voice from behind Jiwoo sounds, effectively cutting her off.

  
She frowns again.

  
Why does the world hate her?

  
Jungeun stands, immediately pulling out a seat next to her at the edge of the table, pointing at the seat next to Chaewon across from her. “Hey Yerim, glad you didn’t get lost on the way here.”

  
Oh, so this is Yerim. She’s smiling brightly, and if it weren’t already so bright in this café, Yerim and her smile could have generated all the necessary light for this shop and the next. Maybe it’s because of her pretty wavy purple hair and how she herself absolutely radiates, but Jiwoo takes a liking to the girl immediately.

  
“You’re Choi Yerim! Nice to meet you, Jungie’s told me about you,” Jiwoo chatters, matching the smile as best as she could (which, needless to say, is not a hard task at all). She sticks out a hand, “I’m Kim Jiwoo.”

  
“You’re Jiwoo sunbae! I’ve heard so much about you from Jungeun unnie – says you’re a wonderful singer. I really would like to hear sometime, and you’re so much prettier than the pictures she’s shown me.” Yerim rambles, much to Jungeun’s chagrin and Jiwoo’s pleasure (and Chaewon’s quiet amusement). Jungeun swipes at Yerim’s shoulder, though Yerim protests and rubs at the area like a wounded child, she goes back to smiling immediately.

  
Jiwoo feels her smile grow wider.

  
Yeah, she definitely likes this girl.

  
“Awww, thank you! But you’re also so pretty – I especially like your hair.”

  
“Thank you so much, I wasn’t really sure if it suited me, but I’m glad!”

  
They’re blabbering, complimenting each other, laughing at Jungeun’s embarrassment, and it’s clear they’ve hit it off as immediate friends.

  
Chaewon leans over to Jungeun, whispering just loud enough for Jiwoo to hear. “This might have been a horrible mistake.”

  
Jiwoo ignores that comment, hands flying as she continues talking to an increasingly animated Yerim.

  
“You’re right,” Jungeun sighs, dropping her head and rubbing at her temples, “This was an awful idea.”

  
\--

  
( “Stop laughing at me!” Jiwoo whines, slapping Sooyoung’s shoulder. Thirty minutes prior, Jiwoo would have died even at the thought of touching Ha Sooyoung, but the tension had eased into a comfortable environment where she could banter with the older girl without her heart seizing every single time.

  
Well, okay, maybe her chest did physically hurt whenever Sooyoung’s hand accidentally grazed hers, but Sooyoung doesn’t need to know.

  
“I’m not laughing!” Sooyoung protests, though it’s clear by her twinkling eyes and wide smile she’s definitely giggling. “You and Yerim definitely are very similar.”

  
“I’m going to assume that’s a good thing.”

  
 “Let’s just say I hold a very dear place in my heart for Choi Yerim and all her antics.”

  
A winks sent Jiwoo’s direction. She does her best to ignore the implications of that statement, but her sweating palms say otherwise. )

  
\--

  
Yerim leaves briefly to order at the counter, a mint hot chocolate with extra whip cream, and returns with the same energetic grin as before. If anyone could be described as a human battery, it would definitely be Choi Yerim.

  
Chaewon and Yerim get to talk this time, the latter somehow having pushed a usually shy Chaewon into giggling about one of their shared classes, and it’s a heartwarming sight to see. As much as Jiwoo trusts Chaewon, the younger of the two had always struggled with strangers and it’s good to know that Jungeun’s underclassman seems to be a genuinely good person – a friend – for when Jiwoo and Jungeun graduate.

  
“I like her,” Jiwoo states matter-of-factly to Jungeun. Yerim flashes a grin in her direction, which Jiwoo doesn’t hesitate to return.

  
Jungeun grunts, though she too is giving the smallest of grins. “Clearly.”

  
“Don’t try to act all chic now, you know you love us,” Jiwoo chuckles, hand grazing the top of Jungeun’s before resting it on the back of her best friend’s hand. She squeezes softly. “How do you know Yerim though?”

  
“She’s my replacement since I replaced Sooyoung unnie. Jinsol unnie and I kind of adopted her as our own child, jokingly, kind of like how you took on Chaewon I guess?”

  
“Is she always like this?”

  
A nod, “Yep. Sometimes even a little too much. Though,” Jungeun taps her chin, hand sweeping through her hair to brush the blond locks from her eyes. “It’s nice to get an overwhelming positive force in between us – Jinsol unnie, Sooyoung unnie, and I tend to be on more the pessimistic side so, it’s a nice change.”

  
Jiwoo hums an agreement. Her mind briefly flashes to Sooyoung’s bandaged ankle.

  
“Reminds me, when are you seeing her?”

  
Jungeun’s eyes are trained on her own, the former unblinking and curious. It reminds Jiwoo of an owl – but a cuter one, since owls could be kind of scary.

  
“Wednesday evening. After my lessons.”

  
Usually Jiwoo loiters around in the practice rooms, waiting for Jungeun to pick her up after her dance rehearsal is over so they can go home together. Instead, this time, she’ll be with Sooyoung, teaching her how to play piano. Her heart flutters at the thought of spending more time with the older girl – just being able to sit with her in the small practice rooms, well, maybe some magic like last time would happen again.

  
Jungeun continues the look, keeping quiet. She nods, expression unreadable for a second.

  
Jiwoo feels kind of guilty for some reason. It kicks her in the gut, an unsettling thought. It stops getting her heart from setting into overdrive and firing up her entire face though, so maybe it’s a good thing?

  
“We can still go home together though! It’s only for the duration of practice,” she gives a sheepish smile, “I should be finished before your practice ends, most likely.”

  
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it too much.” Jungeun smiles, the earlier expression erased in lightning speed – did Jiwoo really see a frown? It’s hard to tell. Usually the blond’s an open book, but when she wants to hide how she’s feeling, she does it well (or well enough that Jiwoo has herself second guessing until she brushes it off and reassures her). “I’ll text you when I’m finished.”

  
(From the corner of her eye, she sees Chaewon and Yerim trail off in conversation, the two turning their attention towards their strangely terse conversation.)

  
Jungeun’s hand moves to ruffle the top of her head, messing her bangs up on purpose. Jiwoo squeals in retaliation, her own moving to whack the girl’s. They quickly dissolve into giggles afterwards, their usual banter returning until Jiwoo’s completely forgotten their earlier atmosphere.

  
“You look better exposing your big forehead, you dumbo.”

  
“Yeah? At least I didn’t fry my hair completely off with bleach!”

  
“You wish you could pull off this blond!”

  
“I definitely could and you know it!”

  
“Completely incorrect, you would look so weird, Jiwooming.”

  
“I bet I would look better than you!”

  
“Alright, prove it!”

  
Eyes narrowed at the challenge, Jiwoo clears her notes, pulling out her laptop and opening the (illegally downloaded) photoshop application she has installed.

  
“Switch seats with Chaewon, I want her help.”

  
With a flick of her wrists, she forces a smirking Jungeun to switch, rolling her eyes when the blond gives her the middle finger and sits by Yerim’s side. Chaewon looks like she knows the whole thing is silly, but responds seriously to Jiwoo’s request as to which selfie she should use to photoshop her hair into the a similar blond color that Jungeun has.

  
A good twenty minutes passes. The three had gone back to studying for whatever class as Jiwoo continues photoshopping, only assisted by the help of Chaewon who’s suggestions really only make it harder for her to finish the task (“Try the liquify button – oh never mind, that’s terrifying.”)

  
While Jiwoo’s mouth turns downwards into an increasingly large frown during the interval, Jungeun’s turns into the largest, shit-eating grin of all times. Even Chaewon holds a hand over her mouth to cover her increasing grin, but the suppressed giggles escape her mouth regardless.

  
Only Yerim has the decency to look at Jiwoo with helpless pity.

  
“Alright, Jiwoo. Times up,” Jungeun quirks an eyebrow, using only her chin to indicate that Jiwoo should stop angrily clicking at her botched selfie. “Let’s see the results.”

 _  
Hello, hi God or gods or Buddha or whatever. This is Jiwoo. If you love me, you’ll stop this from happening, thanks_. She prays silently for a moment, waiting for Jungeun and her merciless tease. Slowly, dramatically, she pulls the laptop closer, scowling at her attempted photoshop effort.

  
So, maybe Jungeun’s one hundred percent correct and she looks awful blond. But just because it’s trust doesn’t mean Jungeun _needs_ to know.

  
Jungeun gives her that _I know I won_ look, and with a sigh of defeat, Jiwoo admits her loss and moves to turn the laptop around – to give both Jungeun and Yerim a sight of blond Jiwoo (who she now knows never to let come to existence).

  
Luckily, the gods decide to have mercy and send a messiah in the figure of a breathless Jeon Heejin literally _crashing_ into the table to save her from the trauma. Jiwoo has never been more thankful for getting whacked in the face by a mouthful of black hair.

  
\--

  
( “Wait, do you still have the photo?”

  
“No! God, no, I deleted it as soon as I could!”

  
“I’d like to see you blond.”

  
“Trust me, you really don’t.”

  
Sooyoung’s eyes scan her briefly. “Yeah, okay, maybe you’re right.”

  
“Hey!” )

  
\--

  
“Heejin! I thought you couldn’t come?” Chaewon is the first to react, round eyes increasing to double their size as she takes in the sight of a red-faced, smiling Heejin. “Did something happen?”

  
Jungeun narrows her eyes, the previous smirk replaced by a knowing smile instead. “Oho, did something _good_ happen?”

  
Heejin’s face lights up, the entire expanse of her neck to the tips of her ears glowing a vivid red.

  
“What’s happening?” Jiwoo interjects, hand raised, confused. “Are you okay?”

  
The three look at Heejin expectedly (minus a confused Yerim who sits at the table silently, lips pushed together into a happy smile nevertheless), waiting for some sort of reply. Jungeun and Chaewon remain smirking with that all-knowing look.

  
Jiwoo sometimes wishes she could catch on as fast as her other two friends.

  
“I,” Heejin takes a breath, eyes burning a hole in the table. “I-told-Hyunjin-I-liked-her-and-then-she-kissed-me-and-then-I-ran-away-and-oh-my-god-I-ran-away!”

  
It’s said fast, the words blurring together to create a sort of mumble-rap that goes twice of the speed of Heejin’s usual cadence.

  
Jiwoo gapes.

  
“You did _what?_ ”

  
\--

  
( “She _ran_ away?”

  
It’s more of an exclamation then a question by the increase in both volume and pitch.

  
Sooyoung stifles her voice as Jiwoo giggles.

  
“Yeah! She ran away afterwards! Isn’t that crazy – like she’s been crushing on her childhood friend for _so long_ and when it finally happens, she just ran! Which is kind of insane, since Hyunjin’s the star soccer player at her school, and I assume she can run faster…”

  
The ticking of the metronome stops abruptly as Jiwoo clears her throat, filling the oncoming silence as she launches into the second half of her story. The piano gleams in front of them, forgotten keys content with sitting as still as the neatly arranged beginning sheet music sits on the stand. Her voice matches the previous tempo of the ticking that had filled the room, volume swelling and quietening with the turn of the tale of Heejin’s (then mortifying, now admittedly embarrassing) love life.

  
“So?” Sooyoung urges, round eyes growing larger as she silently prods Jiwoo to continue. “Are they dating now?”

  
The change from charismatic scary Ha Sooyoung to innocently curious Ha Sooyoung is far cuter than Jiwoo anticipates.

  
Cupid’s arrow shoots through her heart, and she feels herself fall. Hard.

  
“Uh,” Jiwoo hesitates, coughing into her hand to play it off as a teasing pause. Sooyoung doesn’t take too kindly to the hesitation, prodding at the younger girl with a single finger impatiently.

  
“Kim Jiwoo, don’t you dare leave me hanging.”

  
“I would never,” she squeaks, voice cracking. “Anyways! Like I was saying –“ )

  
\--

  
Heejin had slammed her head against the table then (“ _Reminds me of when Jinsol almost gave herself a concussion from something similar_ ,” Sooyoung muses), groaning into a tangled mess of arms and hair.

  
“My life is over. I screwed up.”

  
Yerim, despite having only just met Heejin, comfortingly rubs at her shoulder.

  
“Did you try calling her?” Chaewon asks.

  
“Phone is dead.”

  
“Oh shit, you really screwed up.”

  
Chaewon, Jiwoo, and Yerim all glare at Jungeun. That promptly shuts the girl up.

  
“Here, gimme your phone. Let’s charge it and see if she’s sent you anything.” Jiwoo suggest, smoothing out the girl’s muddled hair, pointer finger running down the length of Heejin’s usual part.

  
Heejin looks more than a little unnerved at the suggestion. It takes a little coaxing (and bribery), but eventually Chaewon is able to wrestle away the device from her hands to plug into the outlet.

  
Once it’s charged enough for Jungeun to turn it back on, there’s six unread messages, at least twenty missed calls, and even an Instagram DM. Who even DMs on Instagram except? That’s so weird.

  
\--

  
( “Jiwoo, you really have to stop getting distracted in the middle of this story.” Sooyoung pouts at her. “I’m still waiting to hear if they got together or not!”

  
Jiwoo almost combusts on sight of Sooyoung’s pouting lips.

  
God _._ Why is she _so dang pretty_?

  
Feeling her face flush at the proximity of Sooyoung’s shoulder from her own, Jiwoo clears her throat once more, ignoring the itch she develops from overdoing it. “Well—“ )

  
\--

  
“Oh my god, what do I do?”

  
Jungeun scowls, pressing the device into Heejin’s trembling fingers. “Call her, dumbass!”

  
“But what do I say?” Heejin’s panic-stricken face glances at the four girls surrounding her. Her eyes are glassy, and Jiwoo’s afraid that she’s going to have a real mental breakdown right here in the middle of a crowded café.

  
“Just explain how you feel?”

  
“Yeah, this isn’t a drama,” Jungeun, despite her comment, is kind. She rubs comforting circles into Heejin’s palm, trying to calm the girl down. “I’m sure she’ll understand if you explain it to her. You and Hyunjin, was it?”

  
Chaewon nods.

  
“Yeah, you and Hyunjin have been friends since you were little. I’m sure she’s still out there waiting.”

  
“Really?” Heejin dares a glance upwards. Jiwoo’s heart sinks at how her eyes are tinged red with unshed tears.

  
Jungeun gives a comforting smile. “Yeah. You’ll be okay. Just get out there and throw your shot.”

  
No one comments on the misappropriated Internet slang, though Chaewon’s eyebrows twitch a bit; Heejin, on the other hand, finally lifts her head, quivering lip pursed into a tight line of determination. She looks scared, but then again, if it was Jiwoo in her place, she also would not know how to deal with a situation like this.

  
“You got this, Jinnie!” Jiwoo throws a bright smile and gives two thumbs-up – her attempt at cheering the girl up. Yerim is quick to copy the response, “I only met you today, but I believe in you!”

  
“Believe it.” Chaewon adds in with her little voice, cheeky grin on her face.

  
\--

  
( “And then they get together.”

  
Sooyoung gawks. “That’s it? That’s the end of the story?”

  
“Well, I mean, I wasn’t there to see their confrontation?” Jiwoo shrugs, blinking owlishly. “All I know is that she texted us that they talked it out and are together now.”

  
“That was so anticlimactic! I was expecting so much more, and you just end it like that?” Sooyoung throws her hands up dramatically, complainingly openly. “Here I thought it was going to be this epic love comedy – maybe a rain kiss scene – and instead it just ends with “they got together”?”

  
It’s Jiwoo’s turn to be peeved, cheeks puffed in sheepish (fake) annoyance. “You’re the one who asked me to tell you a story of my weekend before we started!”

  
Sooyoung clicks her tongue, head shaking disapprovingly, “You have no sense of romance, Kim Jiwoo.”

  
“You sound so much like Jungeun right now,” Jiwoo gives a small ‘hmph,’ arms crossed with a playful scowl playing on her face. “You two should hang out and watch romance movies together.”

  
Sooyoung quirks a brow, “I never expected her to be the romance type. I was thinking more action or thriller.”

  
“She likes romcoms way more than I do.”

  
“Shocking,” Sooyoung snickers. “Never would have guessed. I assumed you were the more romantic of the two. Though, I guess it's fitting Jungeun is a romantic.”

  
“Probably more than you,” Jiwoo responds, sticking out her tongue teasingly. Sooyoung fakes a hurt look. “Like I said earlier, she believes in soulmates and all that nonsense.”

  
“And you don’t?”

  
Jiwoo shakes her head. “Why? Sooyoung unnie, do you believe in soulmates?”

  
Not a second passes before Sooyoung leans her head to the side, a breathy laugh leaving her lips. “Not at all. That sort of magic doesn’t exist in this world.” )

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading until the end!!! i hope to update soon, but :^) finals are happening and i cannot guarantee when i'll be free next.
> 
> anyways, this is mostly exposition (and i hate writing exposition), but the plan is to pick up the plot starting next chapter.
> 
> thank you again!


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